


Precious Cargo

by costumejail



Series: Blood and Water [1]
Category: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys - My Chemical Romance (Album), The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Comic)
Genre: (The girl is trans but shes also a baby and cant articulate that), Family, Found Family, Gen, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Jet Star (Danger Days), Nonbinary Party Poison (Danger Days), Not Beta Read, The Fabulous Killjoys (Danger Days) Are Not MCR, Trans Character, Trans Kobra Kid (Danger Days), Trans Male Character, pre-transition trans character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:14:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23565910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/costumejail/pseuds/costumejail
Summary: Sometimes, a family isn't a mom, a dad, and a couple of kids. Sometimes, a family is a couple of teenagers, a barely-23-year-old, their younger brother's boyfriend, and the baby that they stole from under the nose of a tyrannical megacorporation.
Relationships: Agent Cherri Cola/Kobra Kid (Danger Days), Fun Ghoul & Jet Star & Kobra Kid & Motorbaby & Party Poison (Danger Days), Jet Star & Party Poison (Danger Days), Motorbaby | Grace & Party Poison (Danger Days)
Series: Blood and Water [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1696195
Comments: 30
Kudos: 58





	1. Red Herring

**Author's Note:**

> This one was I think, originally a response to @discocritic on tumblr asking for people's interpretations of Party and the Girl and then I just couldn't stop thinking about it. There will be minor warnings here and there throughout which I will put in the notes before each chapter.

“Morning, Kobes. Coffee?” Jet Star asked as the Kobra Kid entered the kitchen. Party Poison stifled a giggle, taking a hasty mouthful of Power Pup when Jet shot him a look. 

Wordlessly, Kobra accepted the mug. He took a gulp and set the mug down before turning to rifle through the cupboards. 

Poison exchanged a glance with Jet. 

“Doc said ‘e found a stash o’ spray paint an’ said I could have it. ‘M gonna head over when ‘m done eatin’, ya need me t’ grab anythin’?” Poison asked their brother. 

Kobra emerged from the cabinetry, clutching a small bag of cactus pads, he pushed himself up onto the counter and took another sip from his mug. 

“Cherri said the power cord for the turntable broke.”

“I’ll see wha’ I c’n do. Anythin’ else?”

“Should be fine, did you ask Ghoul if he needs anything?”

“Shit,” Jet swore, “I totally forgot. Can you? I think he’s out in the garage.”

Kobra nodded, grabbing his mug and his bag of cacti. He only took one step to leave the kitchen before Jet and Poison spoke up again. 

“Woah! Hey, Kid,” Poison was drowned out by Jet’s protests. 

“You know the rules! No mugs in the garage, remember when Ghoul drank that lighter fluid?”

“Forgot. Cheers,” Kobra toasted Jet and Poison with his mug before draining it and setting it into the rusted sink. He turned to leave the kitchen, completely missing the dumbfounded look on Jet’s face. 

The kitchen door swung shut behind Kobra. 

Jet turned to look at Poison. 

“That was just dirt,” they whispered, sounding shocked. 

Kobra poked his head back through the kitchen door. 

“Hey, Jet? Your coffee tastes like shit.”

Poison collapsed into Jet’s side, laughing until tears ran down his face. 

* * *

Poison rolled the windows of the Trans Am down as they drove, revelling in the feeling of the hot wind in their hair. It wasn’t a long drive from the diner to Doctor Death-Defying’s radio station, so Poison barely had time to savour the drive before it was over. They parked carelessly in front of the shack and didn’t bother to knock before letting themself in. 

“- Keep an eye on the horizon and don’t be afraid to call in if you notice any new friends on the lines out of the inner zones,” Dr. D lifted a hand to acknowledge Poison but didn’t falter in his broadcast. “Here’s one for the dust devil in all of us, the latest screamer from Analog Queen and The Thunder Giants, _Shredded Curtains_.”

Dr. D switched on the record, pulled off his headphones, and rolled over to greet Poison. 

“Party P, just couldn’t wait to get your hands on those fresh pigments could ya? Everything shiny at the diner?”

“Runnin’ smooth as can be. ‘Parently th’ cord f’r our turntable’s shot ‘nd Cherri asked me t’ pick up a new one.”

Dr. D rolled off to find a replacement cable. He returned quickly but didn’t hand the cord to Poison. 

“Alright, fresh cable just like ya wanted.”

“Where’s th’ paints?” Poison asked.

Dr. D hesitated.

“Well, th’ paints were a bit of a red herring. I gotta run I need ya t’ make and I didn’ wanna ask over the waves. Just in case someone was listenin’.”

“Aw c’mon Doc. You could’a jus’ said that!” Poison laughed, “We’ve been kickin’ our heels for  _ weeks _ since th’ city wen’ on lockdown. Even Jet’s getting antsy. Yesterday they looped Kobra int’ a game o’ stun tag ‘nd didn’ mention that his battery was dead.”

Dr. D barely managed to turn his laugh into a cough. He sobered quickly, though.

“Actually, this’d be better as a solo mission.”

“Doc, what? We don’ do solo runs.”

“I was hopin’ you’d make an exception for this one.”

“What’s so special ‘bout it?”

Dr. D paused. At Poison’s glare, he cleared his throat before speaking again.

“How much d’you know about draculoids?”


	2. Last-Minute Adjustments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The occupants of the diner help Poison prepare for their run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very brief and vague mentions of injuries and first aid.

When Poison returned to the diner, they immediately called a crew meeting. It was close enough to sunset that Cherri Cola joined the Fab Four where they had all gathered in a booth in the main room of the diner. 

After a minute, Poison reluctantly began to talk.

“Doc’s got a run f’r me.”

Jet whooped, reaching out a hand that Ghoul eagerly high-fived. 

“When, where, what’s the pickup?” Kobra wanted to know. 

Poison bit his lip, “Don’ worry about it.”

Ghoul picked up on Poison’s tone, “Why not?”

“Like I said. ‘S a run f’r  _ me _ . Doc wants me t’ go solo.”

Instantly, the table fell silent. 

“Pois, we don’t- we don’t do solo runs.” Jet worried. 

“Yeah. I know. Bu’ I promised Doc I’d do ‘t. He said there’d be contacts on th’ inside an-”

“I’ve,” Ghoul interrupted, “I mean- I used t’ run solo all th’ time.”

“Ghoul!” Jet snapped. “Remember why you  _ stopped _ doing solo runs?”

“We let Cherri run solo! I’m jus’ sayin’, I’m sure Doc wouldn’a asked Pois if he thought it’d be too dange-”

“You said contacts on the inside.” Kobra interrupted. “Inside what?”

Poison couldn’t hold their brother's gaze, “Inside th’ city.”

The table erupted into noise as everyone around it began to shout. Poison stood up sharply and the noise level dropped off.

“I don’ wanna do ‘t either, bu’ Doc made me promise an’, c’mon. ‘S obviously important. Doc’ wouldn’t’ve asked me t’ go int’ th’ city if it wasn’t a big deal.”

“You won’t even tell us what the run is!” Jet countered, standing up to look Poison in the eye.

“Why’d Doc ask you?” Kobra raised a hand again. 

“Didn’ say. Prob’ly no one else that would go f’r it.”

“Oh  _ that’s _ reassuring,” Jet huffed.

“Fuck,” Poison sat down again. “You’re actin’ like I  _ want _ t’ go.”

“So jus’ tell Doc no,” Ghoul cut in.

“Like  _ you _ told ‘im ‘no’ to runnin’ waveheads supplies?” Poison turned to glare at Ghoul.

“I think you should go.” Cherri ignored the shocked looks from the rest of the table. “You say you don’t want to go but, frankly, no one can make you do anything you don’t want to do, you’re bored to tears here, you’re in good shape and if there’s Halls on the other side it’ll be easier than a regular city run. We can manage without you for a day.”

Jet aimed a kick at Cherri under the table.

“Have any of you ever said no to Doc?” Cherri shot a derisive look at Jet.

None of the ‘joys said anything.

“Exactly. Poison?” Cherri turned to look at him.

“Fuck’re you so eager t’ get rid of me?” Poison snarled.

“You might not be actually eager for this run specifically, but you do wanna stretch your legs.”

Poison nodded reluctantly.

“Call Doc. Tell him you’ll do it. If things short circuit we’ll have my truck and the bike and we can run backup.”

Kobra reached over to rub at Poison's shoulder, “Tell Doc we won’t do any more solo runs.”

Jet and Ghoul nodded eagerly.

“So you’re all fine w’ this?” Poison clarified.

Jet shrugged, “I’m gonna fill your bed with sand while you’re gone.”

Kobra snorted. Poison shot him a look and he shrugged, “Better yours than mine.”

Poison grabbed Kobra into a headlock, Ghoul laughed and the remaining tension around the table evaporated.

* * *

It took a few days to coordinate things between Poison, Dr. D, and the Juvee Halls inside the city. Doc assured them that there would be Halls with them right from the city walls, but Poison wanted to be prepared for anything, so they had Ghoul and Jet whip up a couple of bombs in case things went all Costa Rica. In typical Fun Ghoul style, he had the misfortune to connect a wire too early and set off one of the half-assembled explosives. The blast was small enough that there was no major damage, but they both received some nasty burns, and Ghoul broke his wrist after getting knocked backwards into a rickety shelf. Once Ghoul treated Jet’s burns single-handedly, Jet set Ghoul’s wrist, dragged Poison into their bedroom, and shut the door.

“You shouldn't leave with us like this.” Jet hissed.

“I promised Doc tha’ I would.”

“Yeah, well that was before you made-”

“Don’t. Pin this. On me.” Poison’s voice went cold towards Jet in a way it never had before.

Jet retreated, “Okay. Okay, sorry. I’m- I’m not upset with you. It just hurts and Ghoul and I can’t run backup like this.”

“I know,” Poison set a hand gently on Jet’s shoulder. “I’ll call Doc ‘n ask him ‘f there's any other crew that can go.”

Jet ran a hand through their hair. They avoided Poison’s gaze.

“Hey, ‘M sorry. I shouldnt’ve snapped a’ you,” Poison murmured. “Y'know, I know Kobes hid a pack o’ Twinkies in th’ bathroom. Prob'ly haven' even expired yet.”

Jet met Poison’s gaze and smiled a bit. 

“I’ll go see if Ghoul wants one.”

Poison smiled, he pressed his forehead to Jet’s before they left the room. Once the door had closed again, Poison pulled out his radio.

“Party Poison t’ Dr. D.”

“Party! Not gettin’ cold feet about this run I hope?”

“Jet ‘n Ghoul set off a bomb a bit early. They’re fine bu’ I don’ wanna leave ‘em like this.”  Poison took a deep breath.  “‘S there any other crew tha’ can take th’ run?”

“Kid, I asked you to take this run.”

“They’re my crew! I can’t leave while they’re injured.”

“Where’s Kobra and Cola?”

Poison hesitated.

“They’re. At th’ diner.”

“So you’re not leaving Jet and Ghoul alone then, are you?”

“You haven’ seen ‘em, Doc. Ghoul’s gonna be doin’ everythin’ with one hand f’r at least a few weeks an' you can hear Jet crackle when they move. Looks like a fuckin vintage wavie. I know th’ kid needs to get out of the city but does it have t’ be me that does it?”

“You’re supposed to head out today, it’s too short notice for anyone else. Besides-”

“What? ‘S this kid really more important than my own fuckin’ crew?”

“I told you, Party, they really are.”

“Fuck you, Doc. They’re my fuckin’  _ family _ , this is some random kid,” Poison nearly shouted.

“You promised me you’d do this run. Are you gonna go back on your word, Party Poison?” 

Poison could hear the accusation through the static.

“Witch help you if somethin’ happens t’ my crew while ‘m not there.”

“So I’ll see you soon?”

“You don’ get any more favours fr’m me after this.”

“Keep running, Party Poison.”

“Don’t tell my crew.” Poison huffed, “Keep runnin’, Doc.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter went through like four revisions and I ended up cutting a scene that I really liked so I might post that soon/after a few more chapters... Thoughts?  
> Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a comment or shoot an ask to my tumblr @sleevesareforlosers. The whole fic is written already so I'll probably just post a new chapter every day.


	3. Going Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poison sneaks into the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a couple lines of incredibly nonexplicit use of fictional drugs, plus an allusion to a characters past drug addiction. Other than that it's pretty tame!

Poison clenched the steering wheel. They double-checked the handwritten instructions pinned to the dashboard of the Trans Am and turned off of Route Guano. After a few more miles, the walls of the city started to appear over the horizon, they quickly grew to drown out the desert landscape. Poison’s hands went clammy and they felt a cold sweat break out on the back of their neck. They murmured a quick prayer to the Phoenix Witch. Predictably, she didn’t respond. Poison felt naked without their domino mask, Dr. D had insisted they leave it at the station, “Just in case,” which hadn't made Poison feel very optimistic about the outcome of this mission. Nevertheless, they pointed the Am towards the northernmost gate visible and kept their foot pressed to the accelerator. The radio beeped with an incoming transmission, but Poison ignored it. They’d been ignoring calls for the better part of the drive.

As the Am approached the city walls, Poison became aware of a low droning. He gritted his teeth, the electrical hum of the city was not something easily forgotten, but it was a sound that Poison had only ever associated with the rigid rules and constant surveillance of city life. 

According to the instructions on the dashboard, Poison just had to drive through the tunnel, give the proper code to the Juvee Hall stationed at the checkpoint, and they would get directions to the Halls’ stronghold from there. There would be no way to be sure that the guard was a Juvee until Poison was at the booth, but they had resolved to go through with this mission and had a fully charged ray gun concealed under their shirt, as a precaution. 

Poison rolled the Am to a stop by the guard booth, he self-consciously adjusted the cap that his scarlet hair was tucked into. 

“Authorization?” Droned the guard from inside the booth. 

Poison schooled their face into a neutral smile and tried to match the even tone of the guard, “BC-1676-DH-8315.”

The guard didn’t look away from their screen, “That is not a valid authorization. No desert visitation is being allowed at this time.”

Poison swallowed convulsively, “I was told that exceptions would be made for vending machine maintenance.”

The guard blinked, the first change in facial expression they’d shown since Poison had stopped at the booth. 

“There’s no scheduled-”

“Oh  _ fuck this _ ,” Poison growled, pulling his ray gun from under his shirt. “You’re gonna lift this gate, I'm gonna drive through it, ‘nd then you’re-“

“You’re Party Poison,” the guard interrupted. 

Poison stopped short. 

“According to...?”

“That’s Party Poison’s gun. The car, the code, it’s BC-1676-D _ A _ -8315, by the way, but nice touch with the ‘vending machine’ bit. Fuck,” the guard breathed, breaking into a grin. “Alexa told me we were gettin’ a visit from a joy today but she didn’t say it’d be  _ Party Poison. _ ”

Poison sheepishly put their gun away and tried for a charming grin, “In th’ flesh. You are?”

“Oh! I’m Velodyne. You’ll be wantin’ to get off the streets before it gets dark, yeah?”

“You tell me, all I know is I’m s’posed t’ meet with someone called Nine Iron.”

“For sure!” 

Velodyne gave Poison directions to the Juvee Hall stronghold as well as the passphrase to get through their security. 

Poison flashed a more genuine smile and waved as he drove through the gate and into the city. 

The city streets were empty, but the Am didn’t stand out as much as it could have, neon lights from storefronts hid most of the graffiti which covered the hood and side panels. Poison didn’t recognize their surroundings, yet the run-down neighbourhood reminded them of where they'd grown up. It took a few minutes for Poison to locate the parking structure Velodyne had described. 

Thankfully, the code that Velodyne had given Poison got him into the garage with no hassle. As soon as Poison exited the Am, a Juvee Hall in black and neon orange was shaking his hand, draping a dark red cape around his shoulders, and ushering him into a service stairwell. 

“I’m Alexa. She/her.”

“Party Poison, he or they.”

“I know,” Alexa smirked. She rapped a pattern onto a panel of scratched metal which swung open into darkness. 

As Poison followed Alexa into the passage, they became aware of another Juvee standing off to the side just as the panel shut. 

The new Juvee switched on a flashlight and motioned for Poison to follow them. Poison wanted to ask where they were going but neither Hall looked interested in conversation. 

Shortly, the trio came to another panel. This one slid open to reveal a supply closet of some sort. Poison followed Alexa in, the other Hall vanished back the way they had came. 

“That’s Dot Matrix. He’s not super talkative. But hey, welcome to The Underground!”

Alexa pushed open a door and led Poison into a nondescript hallway. She began to guide Poison through a labyrinth of passages, all in varying states of disrepair. 

“You’re gonna need an escort ‘round here on account of you really don’t wanna get lost down here. That’s me. I can take that cape back now, if you want.” Alexa shrugged. “Might be best for you t’ keep it on though, we don’t get a lotta sandpipers in here and there’s a couple Rit’ Rats that aren’t exactly jazzed about the baby.”

“Doc didn’ say shit about a baby. I didn’ sign up to b’ a fuckin’ babysitter.”

Alexa rolled her eyes, “Take it up with him.”

Alexa turned another corner, pushed open a door, and began to descend a rickety staircase. Two flights down, she stopped to lean against the wall. Alexa pulled a package out of her shorts pocket and unwrapped something small and foil-covered. 

“Gum?” Alexa offered Poison a piece. 

“What flavour?” Poison hadn’t had gum in months, it was rarely shipped through the desert and Tommy Chow Mein priced it too high for the Fab Four to afford. 

“Think this one's Vanity? Not too sure, really. S’what was cheap.”

“I don’t do drugs.” Poison sniffed.

Alexa shrugged again, snapping a bubble before pushing off the wall and leading Poison into yet another hallway. 

It was strange, seeing rebels so casually ingesting BL/ind drugs. Poison had nearly forgotten about the mood candies so popular amongst City teens. Compared to the other artificial emotions available, gum and lollipops were tame, but Poison’s skin crawled at the thought nonetheless. Substance use was a pretty common part of rebel life. Some killjoys had no trouble taking Zone drugs, Kobra had been among them at one point. But the drugs from the zones had more physical effects than the psychological ones of City drugs. 

Poison was so lost in his thoughts that he barely noticed Alexa come to a stop next to another door. 

“Nine Iron’s in here. I’ve got maintenance to do but I’ll pick you up when I’m done. We’ll go for dinner, I’ll show you the bunkroom, unless you wanted to share with me.” Alexa winked. 

Poison felt their face turn red, “I’m- Uh- I think- Uh, no?”

Alexa laughed, “Sorry, it’s the Vanity talking. I won’t take long. Have fun in there.” She knocked a new pattern on the door, spun on her heel, and strutted down the hallway. 

Poison gaped at her as she left. The opening door startled him.

“Alexa I swear to Destroya- Oh,” The woman who had opened the door squinted up at Poison. “You’re that desert boy the Good Doctor sent.”

“No’ a boy but, yeah. I suppose tha’s me.”

“My bad, come in. I’m Nine Iron.”

* * *

Poison followed Nine Iron into the - office, they guessed - and sat on a rickety chair. For a moment it reminded them so strongly of being called into the principal’s office for misbehaving that they could almost smell the mildew of their primary school. The illusion vanished when Nine Iron leaned back in her chair and propped heavy boots against the edge of the table. 

“So you’re takin’ the baby?”

Party Poison nodded, “He didn’ say it’d be a  _ baby _ but yeah. Doc asked me t’ drop them off a’ Gravel Gertie’s. ‘S an orphanage out ‘n zone 5.”

“You have any experience with childcare? You look a little young to be a da- a parent.” Nine Iron corrected herself. 

“‘M not keepin’ the thing. Doc asked for a favour and you don’t really say no t’ him.”

Nine Iron hummed. “Y’mind if I smoke?”

Poison waved a hand. Nine Iron pulled out a pack of cigarettes, flicked her fingers, and lit a stick off of the flame that erupted from her pinky. She took a deep inhale and let it out, clouding the room just a bit. 

“Kid’s powerful. Young, but they’re gonna be somethin’. I’d feel better keepin’ ‘em here but the city’s crackin down and none of our people have the space for another kid. I’d feel better if I’d met the person they’re gonna be livin’ with.”

“Gertie doesn’t travel well.”

“I get it, ‘s a reason you had to come here. Still... Y’ever wanted a kid of your own?”

“Oh fuck no. I gotta crew full o’ idiots that are hard ‘nough to keep under control.”

Nine Iron heaved a smoke-filled sigh, “Yeah... S’ tomorrow, here’s what’s gonna happen-”

“Tomorrow? Doc said it’d be a one-day run. I gotta get back t’ my crew.”

“Your crew? Why’d you take the run solo ‘f you’ve got a crew?”

“What’s it t’ you?” Poison stared haughtily at Nine Iron.

She raised her hands in surrender, “Well, tell your crew that you’re gonna be gone a little longer than you expected. The city’s locked down, we can’t be sneaking sandpipers like you in ‘n out too often or the ‘crows’ll get suspicious. We got you a bunk in the dorms, y’can eat a real meal for once and we’ll have you on your way in th’ morning. Deal?”

“Fine,” Poison huffed. 

“Great. We’ll give you some food and stuff for the baby. You done any babysittin’ in the sand?”

“I’ve got a little brother. I c’n watch a kid f’r one day.”

“Alright then. Anythin’ else y’need?”

A series of taps came from the door. Nine Iron swung her feet off of the desk, stood, and let Alexa into the office. 

“Perfect timin’, girl. Bring ‘im back in the mornin', say 0600 hours. Don’t get into too much trouble until then.”

Alexa nodded eagerly, grabbing Poison out of the chair and dragging them into the hallway. 

“You hungry? Betcha don’t get a lot of real food out in the dust.”

Poison made an affirmative noise, still thinking over the new plans. 

“The kitchens're right ‘round here. It’s a little later than they normally run dinner but I gotta friend in the kitchen who saved ya a plate.”

“Thanks. Y’ didn’ have t’ do that.” Even through his annoyance, Poison was genuinely touched at the thought.

“Well,” Alexa shrugged. “You’re Party Poison. Plus, you’re takin’ the baby. Kid’s a real cutie but I share a wall with the nursery and they've got a set a lungs you wouldn’t  _ believe _ .”

Alexa shouldered her way through a door with no handle and Poison followed her into a kitchen filled with gleaming appliances. A plate sat on one of the counters with a note designating it, “For Party P!”

Poison laughed a bit when they read the note.

“What... Is this?” He asked, poking a fork into the meal. 

“You don’t-? That’s uh. Potatoes, roast beef, spinach? What do y’all  _ eat _ in the zones?”

“Dog food, mostly.” Poison spoke around a mouthful of potatoes. “Whatever we c’n grow from th’ zones. Cactus, piñon, they’re like seeds, kinda, one’a my crewmates makes real good bread with mesquite flour.”

Alexa whistled.

“Damn. I couldn’ imagine. What about before you left the city though?”

“Basic rations. Our paren’s didn’ earn enough for fancy meats ‘nd fresh veg.”

Alexa didn’t reply, staring at Poison with an unplaceable expression. 

“Hey, I wasn’ expectin’ t’ be stayin’ overnigh’. Is there a way I c’n get a message out t’ my crew?”

“Yeah I got a modded radio that can’t get tracked. You can borrow it if ya want.”

“Shiny.” Poison pushed their plate away, only half-eaten. “You want th’ rest o’ this?”

“You’re not done already!” Alexa seemed shocked. 

“This’s more’n I usually get in a day. You didn’ eat anythin’. Aren’ you hungry?”

“I ate before I went to pick you up. You seriously eat less than that in a day?”

Poison shrugged, “Gotta five person crew and th’ city’s been locked down since th’ kid got nabbed. Not a lotta food t’ go around at th’ best of times.”

Alexa grabbed the plate off the counter and stored it in one of the fridges. Poison was almost surprised to see a functioning fridge but, as he was constantly reminding himself, the underground was a lot different from the zones. 

“So this kid. How young’re we talkin? I know the blackout was a couple’a seasons ago bu’,” Poison trailed off. 

“Well yeah, they’re probably coming up on a year? You don’ really need to worry about it because you’re just droppin’ ‘em off. Basically, if they cry, try an' feed ‘em, an' if they shit, hold your breath. But don’t get too stressed, if ya time it right, the kid’ll sleep the whole drive. Seems t’ like that, being in motion.”

Poison nodded. 

“Anyway, here.” Alexa shoved a small package into Poison’s hands. 

Poison inspected the package, finding it to be half a pack of gum. They looked at Alexa, confused.

“Don’ worry. It’s cherry flavoured.”

“Thanks.”

Alexa shrugged, “Whatever. C’mon. I’ll show ya the bunks and then you can call your crew.”

Party put a stick of gum into his mouth and followed Alexa out of the kitchen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhhh writing the underground is so fun. Trying to think of all the cultural differences between Juvee's and Killjoys was like, an awesome exercise. Couple things I wanted to elaborate on/draw attention to:  
> \- Juvee Hall names to me were all based off of technological things, so Alexa like the amazon product, Velodyne is a vintage speaker model, Dot Matrix like the kind of printer, we meet a Hall in an upcoming chapter named after an old stove model. To me there's a huge dichotomy between the electricity and development in the city and the more natural desert and I think that would manifest in names and some other things, like...  
> \- City drugs! I've mentioned in other fics how obviously it's very easy to stigmatize medications in this particular fandom especially wrt the city. My interpretation of city drugs and meds isn't a brainwashing thing but more of an artificial emotions thing. I think BL/ind can do enough brainwashing with their headphones and so citizens get highs from synthetic emotions.   
> \- Specifically in this chapter I thought it'd be fun to have Alexa take "Vanity", loosen up, flirt with Poison a bit, do things that would kind of shock Poison, because city rebels and desert rebels are different! Alexa is really fun just as a bit of a counterpoint to how highstrung Poison is all the time. They're the same age, but with the different dynamics in the Underground vs the Zones, Alexa and Poison have developed in hugely different ways and can get a bit of culture shock when they interact.  
> \- Also, Nine Iron is a droid. Like if that wasn't obvious from the 'her pinky finger is a lighter' thing. The comics heavily feature droids that rebel against BL/ind, I don't see why one of them couldn't be a bit of a kingpin in the Underground.  
> \- Last thing is that this fic is a 'how The Girl joined the fab Four' fic, BUT I hc the girl as trans, and also don't think rebels would pay a whole lot of attention to AGAB, so I refer to 'the baby' and 'the kid' with gender-neutral terms throughout the fic, this kid will eventually grow up to be The Girl.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! We're getting into the actual meat of the plot now. Leave a comment or shoot me an ask at my tumblr @sleevesareforlosers if you want to!


	4. Midnight Radio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poison calls the diner

After Alexa showed Poison to the bunk where they would be spending the night she assured them that BL/ind wouldn’t be able to track the signal from her radio. Poison took the radio, excused themself to a quiet hallway, and dialled in the frequency for the diner. 

“Party Poison t’ th’ diner.”

After a moment, the radio crackled out a staticky response. 

“Pois? It’s Jet. Is that you?”

“Yeah, Jet. ‘S me.”

“What the hell are you thinking? Kobes’s been worried sick! Tell me you didn’t.”

“Sorry, I-“ Poison groaned, knowing there was no good way out of this. “I  _ promised _ Doc I’d make this run.”

“You told me you’d ask another crew to go. Fuck, Pois. What happened to the buddy system? What happened to ‘no one runs solo’? What happened to not lying to your fucking  _ family _ ?” Jet swore again, even through the shoddy connection, Poison could hear the anger in their tone. “You said you’d ask if another crew could take the run. So what gives?”

“Doc said it was too short notice. I tried, bu-”

“No. Y’know, Party, we let you get away with a lot of shit but this is next-level. Even for you! Kobes hasn’t said a word since you vanished, Ghoul’s smoking like a tire fire, even Cherri’s-”

“Oh, if th’  _ wavehead’s _ worried then it mus’ be serious,” Poison could feel his temper heating up too. 

“Yeah, Pois. It is! You went to the city alone, without telling your crew. We don’t even know what the run is because you conveniently never told us! And we’re in no shape to go after you. What if-” Jet’s voice broke. “What if something happened? What do you think we’d do without you?”

Poison let Jet’s words wash over them, their anger evaporated, leaving shame in its place. 

“‘M sorry. I didn’ want t’ let Doc down. I’ll be back before ya know it.”

“Witch help you if you aren’t.”

“Can you put Kobes on?” Poison asked. 

“You know how he gets.”

“Yeah bu’. Please?” 

Poison didn’t beg often. Jet must have understood the importance of the occasion because a minute later they were back on the radio. 

“He’s here. I don’t think he can- Well, you know. But, if you’ve got something to say to him I’ll let you have some privacy.”

“Thanks, Jet.” 

Poison paused for a moment, once he figured Jet had left he started to talk.

“Hey, Kobes. Sorry I didn’ tell ya before I lef’. I know it’s a risky run bu’- I don’  _ want _ to be on this run I jus’- Y’know me, I couldn’ say no. An' it's an important run, too. Doc made me promise not t' tell what it is but it'll be worth it. I shouldn’ be gone much longer. If I get through the tunnels easy t’morrow I can be a’ the dropoff by sundown ‘nd back at th’ diner before Cherri goes t’ bed. Trus’ me. I wan’ this run over as much ‘s you do.” Poison paused, wiping their face. “It’s weird. Bein’ in th’ city again. ‘Specially ‘lone like this. ‘S hard t’ imagine we ever lived here. Th’ base’s, well, probably shouldn’ be too specific bu’ it’s underground an’ there’s that buzzing  _ everywhere _ . Y’remember th’ hum? I’d rather listen t’ th’ new AKA Loretta album.” Poison laughed, trailing off quickly. “Uh. Well I prob’ly should go. ‘M borrowing a radio an’ I don’ wanna burn th’ battery. Bu’ ‘m sorry I left withou’ tellin’ ya. ‘Nd I miss ya ‘nd I’ll be back soon. Tell Ghoul ‘m sorry too. And Jet. Don’t forget t’ take your binder off. Try not t’ worry ‘bout me. Doc wouldn’t’a let me do this ‘f he thought I couldn’ handle it. I’ll see you soo-”

Poison cut off at the crackle that meant someone on the other end was speaking. 

Kobra’s voice came through, quiet, but steady. 

“Come home soon.”

“I will. Keep runnin’.”

“Keep running. Love you.”

“Love you too. Signin’ off.”

Poison listened for any more transmissions for a moment before turning the radio off. He rested his head back against the damp wall and blinked away tears. When he was sure that he looked put together, Poison trooped back into the dormitory, pried his boots off, and curled up on the bunk. Alexa wandered over to pick up her radio, but something about Poison’s body language must have tipped her off that he wasn’t in the mood to chat. Poison should have slept, but the guilt about the state of his crew and nerves about the rest of the run kept him awake, staring at the bunk above him until the morning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a really short one but I think it was important. This was the first scene I wrote for the fic, and it went through a series of revisions to actually fit in the narrative but the core of it's always been the same.  
> Let me know what you think! Longer chapter coming tomorrow.


	5. Back on the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poison leaves the city, this time with a plus-one.

The next morning, Alexa collected Poison from their bunk. She tactfully didn’t mention the darkening shadows under Poison’s eyes, instead holding out the remnants of their dinner from the night before and a large mug filled with steaming coffee. 

“You’ll probably need this. I’ve heard it’s a long drive t’ the outer zones.”

Poison nodded gratefully, taking a sip. For a moment, he was reminded of the prank Jet had tried to play on Kobra with his morning coffee. Had that really only been two days earlier?

Poison ate quickly, laced up their boots and followed Alexa out of the bunk room. Rather than return to Nine Iron’s office, Alexa turned down an unfamiliar hallway. 

“This’s my room here,” she pointed to a lime green door. “Nine Iron said she’d meet us at the nursery.”

Alexa came to a stop in front of a white door. She pulled out a stick of gum, presumably BL/ind medicated as she didn’t offer Poison one. Poison pulled his own pack out and the two rebels blew bubbles side by side, leaning against the wall. 

Nine Iron arrived after a few minutes, she nodded briskly to Poison and Alexa, rapped on the door, and pushed it open without waiting for a response.

The door swung open to reveal a Hall that must have been in their mid-thirties. Despite looking the same age as Nine Iron, this Hall had none of her grizzled authority.

“Heya! You must be Party,” the Hall stepped forward and hugged Poison. “I’m Talisman Royale, he/him.”

Poison took an unconscious step back, bewildered.

“Party Poison, they or he. People jus’ call me Poison.”

Talisman smiled, “Nice to meet ya! Nine Iron says you’re taking in the kid?”

“I don’ do diapers. Jus’ droppin’ ‘em off.” Poison shrugged dismissively, “Gertie doesn’ travel well.”

“Oh! For sure,” Talisman’s smile hadn’t shifted. “Well, just let me go grab them. Do you want a diaper bag?”

Poison lifted one shoulder, “Sure.”

Talisman nodded and disappeared back into the nursery. Poison turned to look at Alexa where she lounged against the wall.

“What?” She smirked, “I’ll beep Dotty, get ‘im to put some food and stuff in your car.”

“Th’ Am’s locked.” Poison pointed out bluntly.

“Don’t worry about it!” Alexa laughed, turning down the hall, presumably to send a message to Dot Matrix.

The nursery door opened again. Talisman emerged with a shoulder bag and a baby in his arms.

“And here they are!” Talisman transferred the bag to Poison’s shoulder and handed off the kid. “They’re about seven months old, we figured, so they’re gettin’ pretty strong, don’t really need to worry about supporting the head or anything. They’re typically pretty smiley, but if they get upset it helps to sing to them.”

He continued to list off ways to keep the baby happy, but Poison tuned him out. They stared at the little kid in their arms. 

They stared back. 

The baby had huge, dark eyes, a head full of curls reminiscent of Jet’s, and a wide smile featuring one small, white tooth. They reached up, and grabbed a fistful of Poison’s hair. 

Poison shuddered, shoved the baby into Nine Iron’s surprised hands, and set off down the hall after Alexa.

“I need your radio,” he said gruffly, not waiting for a response before grabbing it out of Alexa’s hands. “Poison t’ Doctor D.”

Dr. D’s voice came through quickly, “Party? How’s the city?”

“Tell Gertie not t’ expect th’ kid.”

“Poison? What happened, kid? Is the kid okay?”

“Not gonna make it t’ Gerties. I gotta go.”

“Ah." Dr. D sounded resigned. "Keep running, Party Poison.” 

“Keep runnin.”

Poison cut the transmission off with a vicious twist of the dial and stalked down the hallway to where Talisman, Nine Iron, and the baby still stood.

“Sorr’. You were saying?” Poison reached for the baby, but Nine Iron took a step back.

“What’s that about, kid?”

“Don’ worry ‘bout it. We got a tight schedule ‘f I wanna get back t’ th’ zones ‘fore it gets dark.”

Talisman and Nine Iron exchanged looks. The baby started babbling, and reached for Poison.

“So, uh. Like I was saying, they’ll eat just about anything you put in front of them. Nothing too hard, yet, but soon enough. I’m sure that uh, Gertie was it? Will know what to do with them. You just need to get them there.”

As he was speaking, Talisman handed Poison the baby again. They leaned back in Poison’s arms, pushing against their chest. Poison leaned back to compensate, adjusting their grip to keep the baby steady.

“Mm-hm,” Poison hummed. “They got a name yet?”

Nine Iron shook her head, “Not one that BL/ind didn’t give them.”

Poison nodded, the baby seemed content in his arms, relaxing against his waist as he rested them on his hip.

“Normally we’d put them down for a nap in an hour or so, probably by the time you’re on the road they’ll drift off. But we should get going.” Talisman reached for the kid, “I can take them while we get back to the garage, if you want.”

Poison took a step back, “‘Ve got ‘em. Let’s hit th’ red line.”

Alexa snorted, Talisman and Nine Iron turned to look at her.

“Zone slang is so weird,” Alexa shrugged. She pushed herself off the wall, “Like they said, ‘let’s hit th’ red line.’”

Talisman and Poison set off after Alexa down the hall. It wasn’t until they entered a stairwell that Poison noticed Nine Iron wasn’t with them.

“'S Nine Iron not-?”

“She doesn’t leave the underground.” Talisman explained. “There’s a price on her head like you wouldn’t  _ believe _ .”

Poison accepted that and followed Alexa through the next doorway.

It took some wrestling to get the baby situated into the car seat Dr. D had provided. They weren’t a fan of the straps, but by the time Alexa, Talisman, and Dot Matrix had loaded the Trans Am with supplies, Poison had managed to get the car set all buckled up. He stood up and took in the Juvees.

“You wanna say goodbye or somethin’?” Poison half-snarked.

Alexa waved, Talisman rushed forward to give the baby a kiss on the forehead.

“Get the good Doctor to call us once you’re all safe.” Talisman looked to Poison.

They nodded, “Better get on th’ road.”

Poison turned to get into the Am when Alexa stepped forward. 

“Drive carefully, the kid’s precious cargo.” She handed him a slip of paper, “That’s my freq. Can’t be traced, so if somethin’ happens before you get to the Doc, give me a call. Or if ya just run out of gum.”

Poison nodded, “Thanks.”

They climbed into the driver’s seat, waved through the glass, and started up the Trans Am. The baby startled at the noise but calmed once the car was in motion. They fell asleep before Poison had reached the exit tunnel out of the city.

The Hall from the day before, Velodyne, was the guard at the gate again. They recognized the Am and waved Poison through with no delay, blowing a kiss to the kid in the passenger seat.

Once clear of the tunnel, Poison put his foot down on the accelerator. He watched the City recede in his rearview mirror and took his first actual breath since sighting the walls the previous day. Poison looked over at the baby, asleep in the passenger seat. He placed a hand on their head briefly.

“Jus’ you, me, ‘n th’ open road now, Kiddo.”

The baby squirmed a bit in their sleep. 

Poison rolled the window down slightly, not enough to let in the dust of the desert, but enough to feel the hot wind on their face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally meet the baby! I don't really have a lot to add to this chapter, I fell in love with the Juvee Halls a lot more than I meant to so I might do something with them later but for now, this is how it's gonna be.  
> Leave a comment if you want or I'm always available at my tumblr @sleevesareforlosers!


	6. Change of Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poison takes the baby back to the diner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has some violence, blood, vague descriptions of first aid.

Halfway back to the diner was when things started to go wrong. Poison saw the dust cloud rising over the horizon but initially thought nothing of it. He assumed it was another crew, maybe a pack of motorbabies on their way through the zones. As they got closer, Poison recognized the bikes as belonging to a squad of Draculoids.

“Fuck,” they swore. “I thought all those bastards got recalled t’ th’ city when the Halls sprung ya, squirt.”

The baby didn’t reply, didn’t even wake up.

Poison reached into the glove box, pulling out his bandana and tying it around his face. The fact that Dr. D had his usual mask didn’t mean he was going to go into a clap barefaced. Poison weighed the merits of stopping the Am and getting out against taking out the Drac’s bikes from the driver’s seat and decided to get out. The car would provide a small amount of cover at least.

Poison braked hard, turning the wheel so that the Am came to a stop perpendicular to the Dracs. They jumped out of the driver's seat and began to aim over the hood at the approaching Dracs. Poison managed to shoot the tires out of two of the bikes before the remaining dracs were on top of them. 

One of them stopped their bike and got off, while the other two, still on their bikes, split to circle around the Am. Poison quickly took out the drac that had dismounted their bike before turning to watch the last two dracs approach. He took aim at one of the dracs, but a ray gun blast from the other nearly missed his arm, sizzling on the hood of the Am. Poison scrambled for more cover, took aim again, and fired.

The drac went down, spinning out on their bike. Poison took a breath, ready to face the last drac. Another blast rang out, this one grazing Poison’s thigh. They swore loudly. From the passenger seat, the baby was screaming, a piercing sound, but Poison couldn’t stop to comfort them. They turned to face the last drac and witnessed their bike die suddenly. The drac lost control, driving into a cactus with a sickening crunch.

Poison limped toward the cactus, just close enough that he wouldn’t have to waste battery to get a clean hit. Once the last drac was dealt with, Poison turned back towards the Trans Am and the screaming infant inside.

“Aw baby, shh.” Poison murmured as they tried to undo the buckles on the car seat. “Y’gotta get used t’ those ou’ here.”

The kid looked at Poison and screamed louder, if possible

Poison hefted them out of the seat and held the baby at arms’ length.

“Uhh, it’s fine. This’s fine.”

The baby squirmed and Poison nearly dropped them. He readjusted his grip, holding the kid up to his shoulder and rubbing their back in a hopefully-soothing way.

“C’mon, shh. ‘S all over. No more dracs.” 

Poison continued to murmur soft nothings into the baby’s ear as they gathered up the Drac masks, a habit Cherri had ingrained in all of them. Slowly, they calmed down, leaning into Poison’s shoulder as they tossed the masks into the glove box. 

“What time’s it? You hungry, baby?”

The baby didn’t answer, but Poison decided that he should try and feed them. Still holding the kid, Poison moved to the trunk of the Am and popped it open. He grabbed the first thing that he saw from the supplies the Halls had left, a jar of some kind of mashed fruit, and twisted it open.

“‘F I put ya down are ya gonna start screamin’ again?”

The baby blinked up at Poison, they decided to risk it, sitting the kid back in the car seat.

“You gotta be nice, ‘ve never done this before.” Poison informed the kid as he began to scoop the puree into their mouth. 

They wiggled around, clearly not impressed. Poison sighed.

“C’mon ‘s not that bad,” Poison tasted a bit of the food and gagged instinctively. “Destroya, that _is_ kinda nasty.” 

The baby giggled. 

“Yeah ha ha, open up kiddo.”

With equal parts encouragement and swearing from Poison, the baby slowly emptied the jar. Poison stood to return the jar to the trunk, but didn’t make it more than two steps away before the baby started screaming again.

“Aw, fuck. Wha’ now, kid?”

They stopped screaming once Poison was in sight.

“Oh…” Poison considered their options. “Okay. C’mon then,” 

Poison hefted the kid out of the seat again. He returned the jar to the trunk and closed it, leaning against the back of the Am for a minute.

“This’s sunlight, baby, y’gotta get used t’ it too.”

The baby twisted, reaching up to bat at Poison’s face.

“Hey, watch th’ eyes!” Poison pulled the baby away from themself a bit. 

The kid giggled again.

“Okay half-pint. We gotta get a move on,” Poison walked back to the passenger seat, debated wrestling the kid back into their car seat, and then remembered how much of a hassle it had been earlier. “‘F you promise not t’ move too much, y’ can sit with me. Deal?”

The baby babbled out a response and Poison smiled despite himself.

“Let’s ride.”

Poison climbed into the driver’s seat, gripping the steering wheel with one hand and keeping one on the baby seated in their lap, holding them against their stomach. In this way, the rest of the drive passed smoothly.

* * *

The sun was low in the sky by the time Poison and the baby arrived at the Diner. Poison parked in the garage and got out carefully. The kid had fallen asleep in the last few miles but blinked awake as Poison jostled them while standing up.

“Okay, Motorbaby, ready t’ meet th’ crew?”

They yawned widely, showing off their single tooth. Poison perched the baby on his hip and walked out of the garage. He had barely made it three steps towards the diner when Kobra slammed into him. Poison stumbled back a step, careful to keep the baby from getting crushed as Kobra wrapped Poison into a tight hug.

“Hey, Kid,” Poison wheezed, all the air pushed out of their lungs.

Kobra didn’t respond, just buried his face in Poison’s shoulder.

“Sorry,” Poison whispered, pressing a kiss to his brother’s hair.

“You’re back early,” Cherri Cola approached the siblings cautiously.

Kobra finally let go, taking half a step back. He cocked his head at Poison, finally noticing the baby perched on their hip.

The baby looked up at Kobra, their wide eyes fixed, unblinking on his face.

“Plans changed. There’s masks in th’ glove box if ya wanna grab ‘em.” Poison looked to Cherri, Kobra evidently didn’t plan on moving.

Cherri nodded slowly, “Uh, sure.”

“Great,” Poison didn’t wait to make sure Cherri was following through before he headed into the diner.

Jet and Ghoul met Poison at the door to the diner.

“Thank the fucking Witch. We thought you'd at least radio once you got out of the city.” Jet seemed relieved, but Ghoul cut right to the point.

“Why d’you have a baby?”

Poison shouldered their way between them and into the diner. They stalked into the kitchen and found a fresh pot of coffee on the counter. Poison shifted the kid to their other hip, poured themself a mug, and leaned against the counter to drink their coffee.

Ghoul followed Poison into the kitchen and stole the mug out of his hands.

“Jet said you were gonna ask someone else t’ take th’ run.”

Poison shrugged, “Change ‘f plans.”

“Evidently.”

Ghoul took a sip of coffee, he eyed the baby critically before speaking again.

“And this was th’ run? Doc wanted you t’ ‘dopt a kid from th’ city?”

“Nope.” Poison popped the ‘P’ loudly. The baby made a noise of surprise, but quickly settled down.

Ghoul seemed to accept that, he handed the mug back to Poison and carefully climbed up onto the counter. The baby babbled something unintelligible and Ghoul jumped like he’d been shot.

“It can talk?”

“Tha’ sound like talkin’ t’ you?” Poison snarked.

Ghoul groaned, “So where’d they come from?”

Poison took a large gulp of coffee, “Did Jet make this? Tastes like dirt.”

“I did, actually.” Ghoul didn’t seem as offended as he could have.

Poison took another sip from the mug.

“How’s the wrist?”

Ghoul held his arm out. His wrist was tightly bandaged and splinted with what looked like a pair of butter knives, “Still broke.”

The rest of the crew entered the kitchen at that point. Kobra looked like he’d calmed down slightly.

“You didn’ radio.” Kobra looked at Poison accusingly.

“I forgo’. Got in a clap ‘nd th' kid freaked out. M’ bad.”

Just then, Jet seemed to notice the dried blood staining Poison’s thigh.

“Is that fresh? Do you want me to look at it?” Jet approached Poison quickly.

The baby startled and began to cry. Jet froze. Poison quickly began to bounce them up and down slightly, murmuring words that their crew couldn’t hear. After a moment, the baby calmed.

Poison turned their gaze back on the rest of the crew. They stared back, shock mirrored on all four of their faces.

“‘M fine.” Poison shrugged.

“Party-” Jet began, but Cherri cut him off.

“That’s bullshit. Drac blast?”

Poison didn't met Cherri's eyes when he nodded..

“You want that getting infected? I’ll hold the kid, get that cleaned up and then hit the hay. You look dead on your feet.”

Poison opened their mouth to argue but closed it just as quickly.

Cherri reached out for the baby and Poison handed them over cautiously. The kid babbled and squirmed for a moment, but Cherri looped his dog tags over one hand and dangled them in their face. The baby made a grab for them and, distracted, quieted down.

The crew moved out to the dining room, Poison sat on one of the booth tables while Jet fetched a medkit. 

“It’s gonna burn, okay?”

Poison nodded tightly, letting Jet peel his jeans down his thighs to reveal the wound. Kobra reached out a hand and Poison clenched it tightly.

“Don’t be a baby.” Kobra joked lightly.

“We already got one’a those.” Poison nodded at the baby in Cherri’s arms.

Kobra and Ghoul exchanged a look, Poison opened their mouth but snapped it shut, clenching their teeth as Jet began to clean the blaster wound.

When Jet finished, Ghoul leaned over and inspected the burn. It was shallow, and once it was cleaned it looked much smaller than Poison’s jeans indicated. Blood soaked the jeans from hip to knee, it was probably a miracle that he hadn't blacked out from blood loss.

“Nice job,” Ghoul nudged Jet’s shoulder. 

They ignored Ghoul, looking up at Poison.

“Are we gonna talk about this?” Jet asked.

“Never seen a blaster wound before, Star?” Poison shot back.

“You leave for a run without tellin’ your crew, you don’t answer the radio the whole time you’re gone. Then you show up way earlier than you should’ve with a drac burn and a baby on your hip. What the fuck, Party?”

“I’m tired,” Poison ignored Jet’s interrogation. “I bet none ‘f you’ve gotten much sleep since I left either. I’ll explain in th’ mornin’ but right now I need t’ sleep and so does th’ kid.”

Poison reached for the baby and Cherri handed them back without a word.

“Take our room.” Kobra spoke up again. “Least if they wake up none of us will.”

Cherri nodded. Poison knew better than to argue, they stood, pulling their jeans up over the bandaged burn and headed into Cherri and Kobra’s bedroom. They ignored the soft sounds of their crewmates' arguing that filtered through the room’s walls, choosing instead to change the baby out of their dirty clothes. Poison climbed into the bed and snuggled the baby right up against their side.

The baby yawned widely and Poison smiled.

“Me too, shortstop.” Poison began to hum lightly, and within minutes the kid fell asleep. Not long after, Poison drifted off too, one arm holding them securely to his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe I just have a soft spot for standoffish asshole characters that are ridiculously soft with one or two people but I had to write Poison taking care of the baby and being just, so, so patient with them. Lots of fun juxtaposing them completely ignoring their own injuries and their crew in favour of making sure the baby is comfortable.  
> Last chapter goes up tomorrow! Drop a comment here or at my tumblr @sleevesareforlosers if you want to!


	7. Something Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The baby's first morning at the diner is interrupted by an unexpected visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One character has not a panic attack, but becomes very overwhelmed and shuts down, there's also very brief violence in this chapter.

Party Poison awoke screaming. Their eyes snapped open, ears filled with shrill cries. The room was dark and their eyes refused to focus. A sharp blow to Poison’s ribcage caused them to gasp in a breath. 

The screaming didn’t stop.

Poison took another breath, but he realized that the screams weren’t him. Still half asleep, Poison became aware of another small body in the bed with him.

“Kobes?”

No, not Kobes. Poison remembered the run, the city, the baby.

“Aw, kiddo.” Poison scooped up the baby and clutched them to their chest. “It’s okay, shh.”

The baby continued to scream, flailing small limbs wildly.

“Hey,” Poison murmured. “Jus’ a dream. S’ dark in here, yeah? Lemme find th’ light.”

Poison stood and carefully made his way towards the lamp that Kobra and Cherri kept on their desk. He flipped the switch on and the room became bathed in soft light.

The baby began to calm, hiccupping as they stared wildly around the room.

“Better? Aw, baby. You’re okay.”

Poison bounced up and down slightly, Poison had noticed that the kid seemed to like the motion and they calmed more. Eventually, their sobs subsided. 

“Don’ like th’ dark much do ya?” Poison chuckled softly. “You’re gonna fit right in.”

Stilling bouncing the baby gently, Poison drew back the blackout curtains that covered the window. Sunlight flooded the room. It was still morning but sunrise had come and gone long ago. Poison figured Cherri probably wanted to sleep in the darker room, and besides, the kid was definitely hungry. Poison quickly changed the baby back into their clothes from the day previous. Hopefully, Talisman had packed more than one outfit, or someone would have to make a trip to the market to trade for some more clothes soon.

Poison stepped into the hallway and walked towards the other bedroom. They knocked gently and opened the door.

The rest of Poison’s crew was piled onto an oversized bed. Cherri was curled into Kobra’s chest, Jet read a worn book while Ghoul lay across the three of them, snoring loudly. Kobra caught Poison’s eye as he entered, but didn’t say anything.

“Figured Cherri would want t’ get back int’ your room,” Poison spoke softly. “‘M gonna get some food f’r th' kid, I’ll put on coffee.”

Jet shoved Ghoul off of them and swung their legs over the edge of the bed.

“I’ll help.”

Poison didn’t protest and the two ‘joys left the room together. Just as they reached the kitchen, the bedroom door opened again and Cherri quickly moved into the room that he and Kobra usually occupied.

Poison found that the boxes of food and baby supplies the Halls had sent with him and the baby were stacked on the kitchen counters.

“Cherri was bored overnight,” Jet supplied at Poison’s confused look.

Poison nodded, digging one-handed through the boxes in search of another jar of mush.

“Are we gonna talk about this?” 

Poison didn’t answer.

Jet tried again once Poison had located a jar and twisted it open. 

“D'you want me to hold the kid so you can feed them easier?”

Jet approached Poison and the baby, backing off when Poison shot them a glare.

“I’ve got i’.” Poison sat the kid against one of the boxes and carefully spooned the brownish mash into their mouth.

“Pois,” Jet sounded frustrated. “You gotta talk to us about-”

“Do I?” Poison snapped. “I don’ remember Ghoul gettin’ th’ third degree when ‘e dragged a half-dead wavehead int’ our second bedroom.”

Jet sighed, pinching the bridge of their nose.

“You know that was different, Party.”

“Don’t-”

“Party,” Jet carefully rested a hand on Poison’s shoulder. “Can you at least tell me what the run was supposed to be?”

Poison spooned another mouthful into the baby’s mouth, gently scraping the excess off their chin.

“Doc want’d me t’ pick ‘em up from th’ city.”

“And do what? He would’ve at least told Ghoul if them coming here was a part of the plan.”

“I was supposed t’ drop ‘em off ‘t Gerties.”

The coffee maker shut off, Poison picked up the baby and went to grab a mug from the cupboard. Jet beat them to it.

“Let me.” They carefully opened the cupboard door, just enough to reach in and pull out two mugs before shutting it gently. “Surprise for Ghoul,” Jet shrugged.

Poison accepted his mug with a raised eyebrow.

“Ghoul’s got a mangled wrist and you’re gonna drop  _ whatever’s _ in that cupboard on ‘im?”

“You’ve got a crew of five teenagers and you’re gonna drop a baby into the mix?” Jet shot back.

Poison huffed.

“‘S not- Don’t make it sound like tha’.”

“How can I not? You didn’t know the kid existed two weeks ago and now you think that we’re all gonna raise them? We aren’t- Party we’re  _ not parents _ .”

“I know tha’! But, look a’ them, Jet,” Party held the baby out towards Jet. They giggled and kicked their feet slightly as they swung in the air.

Reluctantly, Jet stuck out a hand and poked the baby’s nose.

“They are pretty cute,” Jet admitted. “But this? This is somethin’ the crew  _ has _ to vote on.”

“We didn’ vote on lettin’ Cherri stay,” Poison grumbled.

“Cherri,” Jet reminded him, “isn’t, uh... How old is the kid?”

“Seven months, prob’ly.”

“Cherri isn’t seven months old.”

“Fine! Witch," Poison swore under their breath. "We’ll vote on it.”

“Thank you,” Jet reached for the baby again. “You need to eat something. I’ll go see if Ghoul and Kobes are up.”

Poison gently handed over the baby, running a hand over their curls before allowing Jet to take them out of the kitchen. Poison located a can of Power Pup and cracked it open, making it through a few mouthfuls before the sounds of Ghoul being woken up echoed through the diner. Poison snorted into their can as they heard a groan from Kobra and a muffled crash. Jet’s distinctive laughter followed as Ghoul swore loudly and repeatedly.

A minute later, Kobra and Jet shuffled into the kitchen, Kobra carefully standing back from the baby.

“Ghoul’s on his way,” Jet announced triumphantly.

“‘M sure he is.” Poison smirked.

Kobra paced his way towards the coffee maker, opening the cupboard before Jet had a chance to stop him.

A cloud of brown powder erupted from the cupboard, coating Kobra’s hoodie, face, and hair with sand.

“Aw, kid. That was for Ghoul.” Jet laughed, making their way towards Kobra.

Kobra shrank back, eyes wide and fixed on the baby.

“Kobes,” Jet stopped in their tracks. “You okay?”

“Stop. Don’t,” Kobra’s voice shook. “I just-”

“Hey,” Poison murmured, taking a slow step towards his brother. “Jet, back off.”

Jet took a careful step back, turning slightly so that the baby was out of Kobra’s line of sight.

Kobra looked down at his shaking hands, his chest rose and fell quickly, erratically.

“Kobra. Breath.” Poison stood next to Kobra, not touching him. They purposefully took even, slow breaths, giving Kobra something to focus on.

A minute later, Kobra closed his eyes.

“You wanna write it ou’?” Poison suggested.

Kobra nodded tightly.

Poison scanned the counters for a spare pad of paper and a pencil. He handed them off to Kobra and spoke again.

“Just yes ‘r no, ‘kay?”

Kobra nodded again.

“Is it about th’ kid?” Poison asked.

Kobra opened his eyes slowly, he scribbled on the pad and held it out so Poison could read it.

_ Yes. _

“Just shock, or somethin’ else?”

Kobra didn’t write anything, he looked at Poison frantically.

“Sorry, Yes, jus’ shock, or no, somethin’ else?”

_ Yes. _

“Tha’s fair,” Poison laughed gently. “You don’ have t’ do anythin’ that makes you nervous, ‘kay?”

Ghoul finally entered the kitchen, hair sticking in every direction. He took in the scene, Jet balancing the baby on their hip. Kobra, covered in dust and clutching the notebook like it was a life preserver. And Poison standing a careful distance from their brother. Ghoul leaned against the doorway, rubbing his splinted wrist, and waved for Poison to ignore him.

Poison looked back to Kobra, who was holding the notebook out again.

_ Are they staying? _

Poison inhaled sharply, “Tha’s what we were gonna talk abou’,” he turned back to Ghoul and Jet. “I wanna keep ‘em.”

Ghoul and Jet exchanged a look. Between them, the baby babbled and sucked on their fist.

Poison opened their mouth to continue, but Jet started speaking before they could.

“Do you hear something?”

From outside the diner, the roar of an engine could be heard growing louder.

Poison looked at the faces of his crew, all of them equally as shocked as him.

“Anyone supposed t’ be visitin’ t’day?”

Jet shook their head.

“ _ Fuck _ , Jet give’m t’ me.” Poison barked.

Jet quickly handed the baby off to Poison. All four ‘joys ran to grab their masks and ray guns and met back up in the dining room. Even Cherri followed Kobra out from his bedroom, clutching the ray gun Poison had left next to the pillow. Poison was looking for somewhere to hide the baby when the engine cut off right outside the diner.

“Pois,” Ghoul put a hand on their chest. “Stay in here with th’ kid, we go’ this.”

Poison was about to protest when the front door to the diner swung open behind him. Ghoul raised his ray gun, and Poison hit the ground, hugging the baby to his chest.

“ _ Hello _ beautifuls,” Sang Show Pony as they skated into the diner. “Hope’m not-” Their voice died as they noticed the four ray guns levelled at their chest.

Everyone froze. 

The baby let out a cry, rousing Poison.

“Shh, baby, false alarm,” they stood, shifting the kid to their hip, and cleared their throat. “Pony! Bit of a shock t’ see you here.”

“Evidently,” Pony couldn’t hide the tremor in their voice. “Thought y’all were gonna light me up for a second there.”

Pony laughed nervously. No one else did.

Jet finally snapped out of it, “Witch, Pony! Sorry! We thought- Uh, I don’t know. We weren’t expecting you…”

“Doc asked me t’ swing by. I've got your mask. And,” Pony rolled back and forth on their skates awkwardly. “He wanted me t’ check on Party P after he said the kid wasn’t gonna make it.”

Everyone pivoted to stare at Poison. They busied themself with making sure the kid in question hadn’t been bruised by their sudden movements.

Pony cleared their throat, “Well, clearly they’re fine! I’ll take ‘em off your hands.”

Pony skated towards Poison and the baby, arms outstretched. Poison took a step back, eyes flashing, and reached for his empty holster. Pony skidded to a halt, nearly falling over.

“Uh, Party, dear. Are you gonna, give me the baby?” Pony seemed a little unnerved by the defensive stance Poison had taken. They pushed forward on one foot, approaching Poison as if they were a wild animal.

“The kid’s stayin’ here, Pony.” Poison growled. They put the baby on the ground and carefully stepped in front of them.

Pony let out a laugh, “That’s a good one, P! C’mon, Gertie’s been waiting.”

Pony went to circle around Poison. As soon as they got within arms reach, Poison threw a wild punch. It glanced off of Pony’s cheek and pushed them back on their skates.

“Ow! Motherf-”

“Oh my God, Pony I’m s-”

“Everyone stop!” Kobra darted between Poison and Pony.

They both fell silent. Cherri stepped forward and picked up the baby, retreating to a stool far from the windows.

“Pony,” Kobra turned to face them. “Thanks, but the kid’s staying here.”

Pony rubbed their jaw ruefully, “Could’ve said that before Poison socked me one. But sure, message received.”

Poison leaned around Kobra, “I didn’ mean to, Pone, I just-”

“No! No, dear. It’s fine,” Pony lifted their chin haughtily for a moment before letting out a laugh. “Y’think it’ll bruise nice? I’ve always wanted to try the rough-n-tumble look.”

Poison laughed, stepping around Kobra to pull Show Pony into a loose hug.

“Scariest rock’n’roller this side’a zone two.”

“Oh you. Before I forget,” Pony produced Poison's domino mask from somewhere inside their crop top, ruffled Poison's hair and pushed off of him. “Well, I think you all have some important things t’ talk about so I’ll get out of your hair. Nice to see everyone!”

They skated backwards, saluting the diner’s occupants at the doorway, then turned and left the diner.

The engine started up again and the Fab Four gathered at the door to watch Show Pony drive away. Once Pony’s van had vanished into the distance, Poison met Cherri at his stool and stole the baby out of his arms.

“Pois,” Ghoul began cautiously, “I’m fine with keepin’ the kid, kinda seems like you’re a little attached… Bu’ you gotta give us somethin’ t’ go off o’ here.”

Poison sighed, they stuck a finger through one of the baby’s curls, making them giggle.

“So, Doc wanted me t’ pick up th’ kid an’ drop ‘em at Gerties.”

“Why this kid?” Kobra raised a hand. 

“‘Member that blackout th’ city had a couple seasons ago? ‘Parently th’ kid caused ‘t. Mom was a joy from Doc’s era, BL/ind didn’t know she ‘ad one on th’ way when they dracced her. So kid pops out, city goes black f’r a week an’ everyone figures they’re somethin’ special. Bunch’a Juvees figured out where BL/ind was holdin’ th’ kid and nabbed ‘em a few weeks back.”

“Is that why-?” Jet was interrupted by Poison. 

“Yeah. Total lockdown from th’ city, no one in or out. But th’ Halls talked t’ Doc. ‘S hard t’ keep a kid hidden in th’ city and they didn’ want them gettin’ caught again. Tha’s where I came in. I was s’posed t’ pickup th’ kid from th’ Halls an’ scram ‘fore BL/ind got their claws on ‘em again. Drop th’ kid off at Gertie’s and she was gonna take ‘t from there.”

“What changed?”

“I dunno,” Poison admitted. “I was in th’ underground n’ I was  _ so ready _ t’ jus’, run the kid out t’ Gerties and forget about it. But then I looked a’ them and I just couldn’-” Poison’s breath hitched.

Ghoul leaned his head onto Poison’s shoulder.

“Doc said they’re gonna take down BL/ind once an’ for all. Don’t you wanna be a part of tha’?”

The table was silent for a minute.

“I guess that’s okay, then,” Jet finally broke the silence. “But, we don’t know anything about taking care of kids, Pois. We’re gonna have to do some  _ serious _ research.”

“No diff’rent than when ya brainwashed me int’ stayin’, then.” Ghoul nudged Jet’s ankle with his foot, smirking.

“Oh  _ ha _ ha, Ghoulie. Tell me that it didn’t wor- Destroya, what is that smell?” Jet sniffed the air suspiciously.

The four ‘joys looked at the baby, who was frowning slightly.

“I know what tha’ is,” Ghoul crowed. “I think our future saviour needs t’ get cleaned up a bit.”

“I left my coffee in the kitchen,” Kobra declared suddenly, standing up and grabbing Cherri's hand.

“Me too,” Jet nodded hastily, following the couple into the back of the diner.

“Hey, wait-” Poison yelled at their retreating forms.

“Sorry Pois,” Ghoul laughed. “You wanted th’ kid.”

Ghoul hightailed it down the hallway after Jet, Cherri and Kobra, leaving Poison with the very smelly baby.

“You better be worth it, squirt.” Poison grumbled down at the baby in his arms

They smiled up at Poison, waving their arms. Poison heaved a dramatic sigh and resigned themself to the first of many diaper changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it! I originally wanted to make this longer and expand of how the baby adjusts to the crew and vice versa but I might do that as a series of one-shots later or something.  
> Thanks for reading! Hope y'all enjoyed. Feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an ask at my tumblr @sleevesareforlosers!


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